A forum for critical analysis of international issues and developments of particular relevance to the sustainable political and socio-economic development of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs).

20 April 2015

Was Virgin Islands snubbed from meeting with President Obama @ US-CARICOM Summit? US, Canada block Puerto Rico seat at Summit of the Americas

None of the Overseas Territories with Associate Membership in CARICOM were invited to recent US-CARICOM Summit on April 9, 2015 in Jamaica.

ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- While the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was meeting with the United States of America’s 44th President, Barack H. Obama, for a one-day important summit on April 9, 2015 the Virgin Islands (VI) and the other Associate members of the Caribbean Community had to sit out as they were not issued an invitation.

The Puerto Rico Independence Party President Rubén Berrios Martinez spoke on April 14, 2015 on “Fuego Cruzado” radio program in Puerto Rico about what happened in the recent Summit of the Americas in Panama.

He stated that 33 members of the Organization of American States agreed that the United States (US) government should retract from its position that Venezuela poses a threat to the United States security. They also proposed that Puerto Rico should have a seat in the organization. The United States and Canada were the only 2 countries to oppose these 2 proposals. Therefore, no resolution was reached this year. So much for democratic principles being observed at international organizations.

Rubén and President Obama had a very brief interchange of words. The exchange, in my opinion, reveals once more the unchanging historical determination of the United States (US) government to maintain Puerto Rico as its colony forever.

Rubén’s account of the exchange went like this. Rubén tells the President that it is time that the US resolves Puerto Rico’s colonial relationship. The President responds by saying, “Puerto Ricans have to talk.” Ruben answers back, “United States has to talk too.”

President Obama’s response to Puerto Rico’s 116 year of US colonialism is no different than all other American presidents of the past. They have all used the same lie that Puerto Rico is a colony because Puerto Rico can’t decide what she wants. This is unquestionable evidence that the US government wants to keep us a colony forever.

Puerto Rico is a colony because the US government unilaterally decided that. It invaded Puerto Rico to own her.

In 1960, the United Nations (UN) ruled that colonialism is a crime against humanity. Since then, the UN has asked the US 33 times to adhere to its international law prohibiting colonialism, and to immediately decolonize Puerto Rico. The United States has ignored the UN’s requests thus far.

It is important to note that these UN resolutions does not mention the need for Puerto Ricans to decide anything. What it does state specifically is that the US government should give Puerto Rico her sovereignty. That is exactly what the US government does not want to do.

In order for the US government to continue to pretend that it believes in freedom, justice, democracy and the rule of law, it prefers to talk about Puerto Ricans having to decide what they want through plebiscites after plebiscites. So, why didn’t the US government ask Puerto Ricans whether they wanted to be colonized? The fact of the matter is that even if 100% of Puerto Ricans decided to remain a US colony that would mean nothing. Colonialism would still be a crime, and as such, it would still be intolerable to the international community.

I would have wished that Ruben’s response to Obama have been: Mr. President, we don’t have to decide anything. The US government is the one violating the law. And it is up to you, Mr. President, to make sure that the US immediately and unilaterally decolonizes Puerto Rico!